Turtles VS. Tortoises

Do you have any idea how often people get turtles, tortoises, and terrapins confused? Pretty often, actually. It drives zookeepers crazy with frustration, so I am going to go ahead and explain some of these differences to you.

So first a definition. What is exactly a turtle, tortoise, and terrapin? Well, a turtle is technically what you find in the oceans. Like this leatherback sea turtle! Leatherbacks are considered an endangered species. Turtles are generally omnivores, eating seaweed and jellies for the most part. They can get fairly large, and their shells are usually more flat. They live in either salt or fresh water.

Then we have tortoises. These guys are utterly adorable, in my opinion. While turtles get fairly big, tortoises really vary in size. You have the smallest, at the Speckled Tortoise, which aren't even 1/2 of a pound heavy when adults! They are teeny tiny!

But then you have the biggest tortoise, which is the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. Unfortunately, those guys are on the verge of extinction. But there still might be some salvation: about 100 hatchlings had recently been discovered. They can get to be 4 feet across their shell, and over 450 lbs! That is a big tortoise. All tortoises have more of a domed shell, and are strictly herbivores. They can't swim, either. If you put them in water, they will sink like a rock. 

Finally, we have terrapins. These guys tend to stay fairly small, but you have the occasional exception. Terrapins prefer to live in brackish water. That is, the water has too much salt to be fresh water, but not enough salt to be ocean. They vary in diet, like turtles. Many of the turtles that you can buy as pets are actually terrapins. 

Sources: Click on links, mainly. I also used National Geographic as a source. The ICUN Red List is also a great source, if you know how to read their fancy stuff.